கி. ராஜநாராயணனின் படைப்புகளில் கரிசல் மக்களின் வாழ்வியல்: ஓர் இனவரைவியல் மற்றும் சமூகப் பண்பாட்டு ஆய்வு

The Lifestyle of Karisal People in Ki. Rajanarayanan’s Works: An Ethnographic and Socio-Cultural Study

Abstract

Ki. Rajanarayanan (Ki. Ra.) is celebrated as the pioneer of regional literature and the father of 'Karisal' (black soil) literature in the Tamil literary landscape. His works, particularly Gopalla Gramam and Gopallapurathu Makkal, meticulously document the history of a specific geographical region and the social, cultural, and economic transformations of the people living there. These works detail the 1,000-kilometer journey of the Kammavar Naicker community, who migrated southward from the Andhra region due to Mughal invasions and political crises, and their heroic history of transforming the arid Karisal wastelands into fertile agricultural fields.

This research paper examines Ki. Ra.’s works from an ethnographic perspective, focusing on the unique ecology of the Karisal land, clan deity worship, rituals, beliefs, caste structures, and agricultural practices. Furthermore, it provides a detailed analysis of the linguistic significance of the Karisal regional dialect and the influence of oral storytelling traditions. The primary objective of this study is to illustrate the paradox between the parched nature of the Karisal land and the profound emotional warmth (the "wet hearts") of its people.